The present invention relates to an apparatus for aiding medical treatments in the blood circulation system of a patient, and in particular for minimizing unintended injury during the treatment, while preventing the circulation of embolic debris, or blood clots, resulting from such treatments. The invention is primarily, but not exclusively, concerned with providing protection in connection with procedures like those for implanting a prosthetic heart valve. The invention utilizes some components disclosed in co-pending Application No. PCT/US2012/61038, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
There are known procedures, known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), in which a prosthetic heart valve is implanted at the site of a defective native valve, or of a previously implanted defective prosthetic valve. In these procedures, the new prosthetic valve and its guiding structure are introduced by a transcutaneous catheterization technique. For example, the valve and delivery components will be introduced through an incision in the groin or arm and along a blood vessel path to the desired location.
Such a procedure is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,321, which issued to Alan Cribier on Sep. 8, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such valves and their associated guiding devices are marketed by Medtronic and by Edwards Lifesciences, one example of the Edwards valves being marketed under the trade name Sapien.
Although such prosthetic valves have been used successfully to provide a replacement for stenotic native heart valves or defective prosthetic valves, it is difficult with known implantation procedures to guide the prosthetic valve to its intended location with sufficient accuracy to avoid traumatizing body tissue around the implantation site.